A TEENAGER died after he was stabbed in the chest while standing up to the men trying to steal his car.

Fabian Kacica, 19, was with friends outside the Forum library in the heart of Southend last May when he was stabbed to death after a fight broke out.

Joe Paffey, 21, and Aidon Pearce, 21, have been convicted of his murder and manslaughter respectively as well as attempting to steal Fabian’s car.

During a four-week trial, the court heard Fabian had been socialising with friends before he was killed in an attack which lasted only minutes.

Fabian and his best friend Kamil Mirga were out socialising with two 15-year-old girls, and had stopped at the Forum because one of the girls needed to go to the toilet. While the two girls were walking to the building a group of men, including Paffey and Pearce, began calling out to them but they were ignored.

When the girls came out of the Forum, they were called over by the group. Aidon Pearce asked the girls how old they were and the ages of Fabian and Kamil before they quickly returned to Fabian’s Ford Fiesta, followed by Paffey and Pearce.

One of the teenage girls who had been with Fabian in the lead up to his death told the court she overheard the two men planned to steal his car at knifepoint.

The prosecution told the court Pearce said to Paffey: “Well we’re robbing the car.” before the two men discussed whether they had a knife.

Pearce shouted: “Why are you with two 15-year-old girls?” which he used as a pretence to go there and challenge Fabian and Kamil, with the intent to steal their car. He then removed the keys from the Ford Fiesta so the two men could not escape. Fabian immediately reacted by punching Pearce in the face and as this happened Paffey came round the car and pushed Fabian towards Pearce.

In shocking CCTV footage, Paffey could then be seen to move into position in front of Fabian and without hesitation stabbed him in the chest, causing the knife to go through his heart.

Paffey and Pearce fled the scene, leaving Fabian bleeding to death on the floor while Kamil fought helplessly to save his life. After conviction, Essex Police Det Chief Insp Daniel Stoten said: “Fabian was going about his business when he crossed paths with cowards, Paffey and Pearce, two vile individuals who then set upon him.”